Note: This message was originally sent on May 16, 2019
Colleagues, As many of you may have heard, Joe Delay (’52) passed away last week at the age of 93; we share the below in memory of him and to honor his service to GU, community, and country.
“The World War II generation did what was expected of them. But they never talked about it. It was part of the code.” – Tom Brokaw
It was a code that Joe Delay (’52) remained true to throughout his life — when asked about his service in the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army during World War II, he often redirected the conversation. He kept much of what he had seen and experienced to himself. And with good reason, as he fought through the Battle of the Bulge, witnessed the liberation of Kaufering IV concentration camp in Bavaria, and the seizure of Hitler’s hideout in Berchtesgaden in 1945, just a few months prior to the end of the war.
Through all he’d experienced in his life, Delay maintained a quiet optimism and grateful perspective. “It’s a great country,” he said in an interview with Faces of Valor, “the best that exists.”
A true American hero, Delay returned home from the war to the Inland Northwest, where he had grown up on his family’s farm in Sandpoint, Idaho. He attended the University of Idaho before transferring to Gonzaga University to complete his combined B.A./J.D. in 1952. For more than 63 years, Delay was an extremely well-respected lawyer in Spokane, practicing law into the final months of his life.
For 64 years, Delay was married to Helen (Curran), a nurse at Holy Family Hospital whose brother Don Curran (GU Trustee) went into practice with Delay in 1961. The firm is known today as Delay, Curran, Thompson, Pontarolo, and Walker. Joe asked Helen to dance during a school social, and they were married at St. Aloysius Church. Together, they raised two sons, Paul (’86) and Mike (’88), both of whom also graduated from Gonzaga University’s Law School. Their granddaughter Hailey (’18) is the most recent Gonzaga Law graduate from the Delay family, while grandson Jack (’21) is currently an undergraduate studying business and marketing at GU. Joe’s extended family also has connections to Gonzaga as his brother-in-law and Gonzaga Trustee, Don Curran (’60, J.D), Don’s wife, Gonzaga Regent, Va Lena (’58, J.D.), and their son Kevin, (’88, J.D.) are all proud Zags.
Delay was awarded the Law Medal in 1997, and was an active member of the Gonzaga Law community. He served on the board of Regents, as a Regent Emeritus, and worked closely with Fr. Costello to help build and shape the current Law School building and Law Library. He also served as the president of the Washington State Bar Association. Joe and Helen’s first gift to GU was in 1958….they supported GU for 61 years. During this time, among the many projects they supported, they created the Joseph P. and Helen Delay Law Book Endowment for the Chastek Law Library.
The date for Joe’s service will be June 15th, 2019. Additional details will be forthcoming. Our thoughts continue to be with the Delay and Curran families.